Senate Bill 2079

AN ACT TO DECLARE STATE POLICY WITH RESPECT TO MANAGING DATA AS A STRATEGIC ASSET; TO CREATE A MISSISSIPPI DATA MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STUDYING STATE AGENCY DATA SOURCES; TO SET OUT THE MEMBERSHIP AND REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE WORKING GROUP; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The Legislature finds:

(a) That the public expects programs of state government to be managed effectively and efficiently;

(b) That the accomplishment of these ends requires that lawmakers and managers make data-driven decisions;

(c) That the quality of any data-driven decisions will be impacted by the quality, utility, and accessibility of the data that is maintained and analyzed by state government entities; and

(d) That the volume of state government data in unstructured formats is rising dramatically due to the use of new technologies.

(2) To assist in achieving the ends of effective and efficient management, there is hereby created the Mississippi Database Management Working Group. This working group shall consist of:

(a) The Executive Director of the Department of Information Technology Services, or his designee;

(b) The Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee;

(c) The Executive Director of the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, or his designee;

(d) The Executive Director of the Legislative Budget Office, or her designee;

(e) The State Health Officer, or her designee;

(f) The Executive Director of the Division of Medicaid, or his designee;

(g) The Commissioner of Higher Education, or his designee;

(h) The Executive Director of the Administrative Office of Courts, or his designee; and

(i) The Commissioner of Revenue, or his designee.

(3) The Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall organize within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this act, with the Executive Director of the Department of Information Technology Services or his designee calling the first meeting of the working group. At its first meeting, the working group shall elect a chair and vice chair and shall begin to develop a plan for the working group's activities. The elected chair may appoint committees as he or she considers necessary to the completion of the working group's responsibilities.

(4) All working group members shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for any official travel as provided for in Section 25-3-41, Mississippi Code of 1972. The working group shall have the authority to establish any policies and procedures it determines are necessary and proper for the completion of its responsibilities.

(5) All agencies of the executive branch and agencies and committees of the legislative and judicial branches shall cooperate with the working group in carrying out its responsibilities as set out in Sections 2 and 3 of this act.

SECTION 2. (1) The Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall be charged with researching and reporting on the following matters related to the quality, utility, and accessibility of data maintained by any and all agencies, boards, commissions, departments, or committees of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Mississippi state government and in doing so, shall determine and ascertain:

(a) The identity of any and all financial and nonfinancial databases that such entities maintain;

(b) The degree to which such databases are kept current, as well as any standards each entity has developed for ensuring that data is maintained and updated in a timely and accurate manner;

(d) Any standards for uniformity of database architecture;

(e) The transparency and internet accessibility of such databases that are established for public access and use;

(f) The degree of Internet accessibility and any hindrances to the accessibility of such databases by agencies and committees charged with the responsibility for assessing agency and program effectiveness and efficiency;

(g) The general volume, source, and format of unstructured data not currently found in databases;

(h) Any legal requirements under state and federal law that impact access and use of confidential or otherwise legally protected information;

(i) The existence of one or more data dictionaries for any and all databases;

(j) The existence of any audit procedures implemented by such entities to ensure reliability of data;

(k) Issues related to the public ownership of the databases of such entities;

(l) Issues related to security of such databases;

(m) Costs of maintaining databases;

(n) Any other matter that the working group considers to merit study and comment.

(2) All files and records of the working group shall, upon completion of the report required by Section 3 of this act, become work files of the PEER Committee.

SECTION 3. (1) By December 1, 2017, the Mississippi Data Management Working Group shall prepare a report to the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Mississippi, the Governor, and the Chairs of the Appropriations Committees of the Mississippi House and Senate. The report shall also be made accessible to the public from the website of the Department of Information Technology Services. Such report shall address the following matters:

(a) Findings or conclusions about the quality, accessibility, and utility of the databases of state government;

(b) Findings and conclusions about the volume, source, format, and expected growth of unstructured data of state government;

(d) Any other matter relative to managing data as a strategic asset that the working group believes merits reporting.

(2) The report required by this section shall also contain draft legislation that will address any and all concerns set out in the report that are appropriate for legislative action.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2016, and shall stand repealed from and after December 2, 2017.